Expat calls Sharjah Police to order pizza in coded plea to save her from husband
A duty officer at Sharjah Police’s emergency call centre rescued an expatriate woman after recognising that her insistence on “ordering pizza” was a disguised plea for help while she was being threatened at home.
The case was revealed by Captain Majid Al Bas, Head of the Communications Operations Branch at Sharjah Police, during the “Aman Ya Biladi” programme aired on Sharjah Radio in cooperation with the Sharjah Broadcasting Authority.
Captain Al Bas said the operator, identified as Khamis, received a call from a foreign woman who repeatedly said: “I want to order pizza”, even after he told her she had reached the police and not a restaurant. Sensing she was speaking under duress, he kept her engaged on the line.
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To buy time and gather information, the officer asked how many pizzas she needed, in an attempt to determine how many people were in the house, and what drinks she wanted. She said she wanted one pizza to imply that there is one person present.
While keeping her on the line, Khamis alerted his supervisor and triggered tracing procedures. The operations centre identified her location within Sharjah, and field units were dispatched.
Officers found out that the woman was being threatened by her husband, who was in an “abnormal state”. The scene was secured and her safety ensured.
Captain Al Bas said the case underscored the importance of training emergency call staff to detect indirect or coded distress signals, particularly when victims cannot speak openly. He noted that such disguised requests are an internationally recognised method used by people seeking discreet help, and that Sharjah Police personnel are trained to pick up on subtle behavioural and linguistic indicators during emergency calls.
